State
Oktibbeha County still seeking funding to replace levee at lake
Commercial Dispatch
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY - County officials are considering applying for five grants to fund the replacement of the levee at Oktibbeha County Lake, Emergency Management Agency director Kristen Campanella told the board of supervisors at its Monday meeting.
...Its full capacity is more than 454 million cubic feet over 935 acres, but the county has minimized pressure on the levee by limiting the amount of water in the dam since 2016, when a Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality inspection confirmed the levee needed repairs.
Turtles released from Coast could provide answers if Bonnet Carré is opened in 2020
Sun Herald
Two young sea turtles rehabilitated, tagged and released into the Mississippi Sound have wasted no time heading for warmer waters, logging a combined 113 miles in less than nine days.
Deer hunting canceled at Eagle Lake rec center after flooding depletes population
WLBT
WARREN COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) - Low deer numbers caused by this year’s flooding is causing one wildlife management area to cancel deer hunting all together.
Board hears updates on weir and bridges
Picayune Item
The weir on the Pearl River near Walkiah Bluff is in worse shape than expected and has suffered significant erosion within the last two years.
Surface water now flowing through Saltillo pipes
Daily Journal
SALTILLO - The switch from ground water to surface water was completed without any major hitches Tuesday.
I-20 Traffic Backed Up by Grass Fires in Vicksburg
Delta Daily News
WARREN COUNTY, MS (Ben Caxton) — Traffic backed up along I-20 in the Vicksburg area on Tuesday as the fire department battled a number of grass fires that shrouded the interstate in smoke.
Deadly explosion under investigation at Louisville plywood facility
WTOK
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WTVA, WTOK)- A worker was killed when a core chipper exploded Tuesday morning at Winston Plywood & Veneer in Louisville.
How LED Christmas lights could save you money this holiday season
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Putting up Christmas lights can be expensive, and it can make a huge difference on your light bill.
Jackson Listed As Allergy and Asthma Capital
Delta Daily News
JACKSON, MS (Ben Caxton) — Jackson is one of the deadliest cities in the U.S. for people with asthma. In 2016 Mississippi saw the most deaths from asthma per capita and Jackson outranks many other Southern cities on the “2019 Allergy and Asthma Capitals” list.
State Government
Governor-elect Tate Reeves talks first 90 days
WJTV
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)– In less than two months, Mississippi will have a new Governor leading the state. We are exactly six weeks away from inauguration day. Tate Reeves stopped by the 12 news studio Tuesday night for a one-on-one, as he prepares to move into the governor’s mansion.
Sen. Dean Kirby of Pearl to take No. 2 position in Senate
Clarion Ledger
Longtime Sen. Dean Kirby of Pearl will become the second in charge in the state Senate when it reconvenes in January.
Regional
Last of Texas plant’s fires declared ‘extinguished’
AP
Authorities say the last of the fires from a series of massive chemical plant explosions that rocked a Gulf Coast town has finally been extinguished.
City of Memphis receives $5.6 million grant to address lead paint hazards in area homes
WMC
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - On Tuesday, the City of Memphis announced it received a federal grant for $5.6 million to identify and address lead-based paint hazards in more than 300 housing units across Memphis and Shelby County.
National
EPA proposes rule to speed up disputed industry pollution permits
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to speed up the process by which industry permits are granted after they are challenged before the agency’s appeals board.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Hit a Record in 2019, Even as Coal Fades
NYT
WASHINGTON — Emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide from fossil fuels hit a record high in 2019, researchers said Tuesday, putting countries farther off course from their goal of halting global warming.
Court seems ready to curb claims over Montana Superfund site
AP
The Supreme Court seemed inclined Tuesday to rule that Montana homeowners who are seeking additional cleanup of arsenic left over from years of copper smelting need the permission of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Shipping Faces New Headwinds in Meeting Emissions Rules
WSJ
With weeks to go before a landmark mandate for ships to burn cleaner fuels goes into effect, a zero-carbon future for the maritime sector may be growing more distant.
‘Forever chemicals’ are found in MWRA fertilizer, drawing alarm
Boston Globe
QUINCY — The sludge arrives by the ton, pumped through miles of underwater pipes from Deer Island to a waste-water treatment plant on the banks of the Weymouth Fore River, where it’s spun through centrifuges into a kind of wet cake, dried by large furnaces, and made into fertilizer pellets.
Trump asks court to toss California auto emissions lawsuit
Bloomberg
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's administration asked a federal judge to throw out California's lawsuit seeking to preserve its power to regulate tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions, saying Washington has the last word in setting fuel economy standards.
Missouri environmental group sues EPA over alleged lax lake protection rules
Springfield News-Leader
A Missouri environmental group on Tuesday sued the federal Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the EPA accepted state rules that don't adequately protect Missouri lakes for recreation and drinking water uses.
Conservation Activists File Petition With EPA Over Plastic Plant Pollution Standards
CBS SF
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Members of several community and environmental organizations announced Tuesday they’re calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt stricter air pollution standards for industrial plants that create plastic.
San Diego officials to sign joint resolutions calling on Trump EPA to fund a fix to Tijuana River pollution
San Diego Union-Tribune
Elected leaders from across South Bay San Diego announced Tuesday a joint effort aimed at pressuring the federal government to support a long-term fix to the sewage pollution that routinely flows over the border from Tijuana, fouling beaches as far north as Coronado.
Press Releases
EPA Takes Further Actions to Improve the NSR Permitting Program
12/03/2019
WASHINGTON (Dec. 3, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing several actions to clarify and improve New Source Review (NSR) permitting requirements.
